The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Cattle => Topic started by: zarzar on November 19, 2013, 11:37:50 am
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:wave: Hi all we are looking at buying some bottole calves just after Christmas we have been offered some Ayrshires by someone local who calves all year round they have passports, has anyone else any experience with the breed.and what their temperment ect is like
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I presume these are males? Male Ayrshire calves fetch £5 or less at the auction for a reason. They will eventually finish and provide tasty beef, but very little of it compared to all beef and most other dairy breeds.
My neighbour is a dairy farmer with an Ayrshire herd, and does rear his decent purebred bullocks for beef, mainly for themselves and their customers (farm shop and restaurant.) He castrates them with a burdizzo at a couple of months old, and hasn't ever said anything to suggest that they're difficult to manage.
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my veal business originaly started with ayrshire bulls, as thats what surrounded us.
carcass will never be great but ok. they had a good temperament at the ages we kept them.
good luck
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Ok cool thanks they are all pedigreed so not 100% sure yet what we want to do maybe give rose veal ago, or raise the ones out of their champ sire to show then sell still debatable yet.
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be careful what you do with adult dairy bulls, avery different kettle of fish to imature young bulls.
can be nasty things!
i woudl question their value as breeding bulls if hes willing to sell them.
d
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ok thanks from what i have seen he sells all the calves as he does milking but his daughter shows a few of them.